In the summer I am a huge fan of kimono's, they keep the sun off my shoulders, add interest to any simple look and are cool and comfortable. This one is a recent acquisition, and I have been patiently awaiting a nice warm day to bust it out. The colour is a perfect pop and the print is Hawaiian shirt esque which makes me happy.

This LBR (little black romper) is a vintage piece I picked up this winter and have been saving as well. You can't pass on the perfect little black romper when you find it even if it's months before appropriate to wear. I have had my eye out for one for yeeeears, this one ticks all my boxes: Comfortable, Simple & POCKETS! Girl loves her some pockets, besides the little lace details along the bottom are too sweet to pass on.

Nothing screams summer quite like wearing a picnic table cloth as a romper, amiright?! Gingham has always been a go to summer print in my eyes, and yet I don't own much of it. When I spotted this red and white number recently I knew it was to become a great summer staple. I mean, we all know what I'm wearing Canada Day already...

I decided to really lean into this look with my wide framed sunnies and a red lip, really go full on 50's vamp style. I gotta say, while a departure from what I've been wearing lately I was totally feeling myself this day. Except that it was so warm after being so cold for so long. My body couldn't quite adjust! Here I am complaining about being too warm after months of being too cold. No pleasing anybody right?

1. Sleep.

Ensuring you're getting 7-8 hours of sleep is crucial to allowing your body to recover and rest from the stress and strain you're putting it through via exercise. If you don't rest enough, you might be fatigued and not able to put enough effort into your workouts. Or your muscles will not be fully recovered yet, they tear when you work them and need to be repaired before they tear again.
If you have issues sleeping try: A meditation app, A new bedtime routine with no screen time 60 minutes before bed, Adding in 20 minute naps when you can, Try Melotonin to get into a proper rhythm.

2. Nutrition:

Not eating enough, eating too much, etc. This can make you or break you and your fitness routine. If your body doesn't have enough energy/nutrients to fuel you through your workout it will be subpar. If you don't fuel it properly afterwards it will be unable to repair. Now depending on where you are in your training you might need more cards/more protein etc.
If you're having issues with nutrition: try tracking your macros with myfitness pal, Seeing a nutritionist, Meal prepping.

3. Stress:

Stress can be both good and bad for the body, we need it to get the flight or fight response going, technically exercise is stress on the body, but too much stress can lead to weakened immune systems. Not only can it affect our immune systems and make us sick, chronic stress can create anxiety and depression, both which are going to inhibit your performances in the gym and in life.
Try: Cutting back in one small area, Taking 5 minutes to stretch in the morning, Try a meditation app, Schedule down time like you would a meeting (meaning commit to it), Go for a massage, Try other self care tactics you like

4. Load:

Load meaning the actual work you are putting your body through with your workouts, sometimes we do too much or we do too little. Ensuring your workouts are balanced and in line with the results you want to see. For example, if you're looking to gain muscle you're not going to spend hours on the elliptical.
Try: Seeing a personal trainer :), Using a fitness app (I suggest volt, it can be more specific to sport), Keep a journal of the weights you're using/reps to see a change, or to track your runs etc.

5. Patience:

Not giving yourself the time to see results, we all want results immediately and then are disappointed when we don't. You need to give your body 6 weeks to asjust to any training program before you can decide if it's working or not. Same goes with changing bad nutritional habits. It takes time, repetition, sometimes you'll fall off but you got to get back on.
Try: Again a professional in the area you're looking to change (nutrition, fitness, mental health etc), Keep a journal to track progress, Give yourself an end date where you'll reasses and go from there.

Bonus:

6. Have Fun!!

You're never going to stick to something you hate doing, try to find a form of exercise you genuinely enjoy doing and it won't be such a struggle. Exercise and movement can be such a fun celebration of your body, so try to find things that make you feel that.
Try: All kinds of different workouts, different classes, obstacle courses, boxing, pole dancing, join a softball team, lift weights, run sprints, whatever makes you feel really good after or during.

These pants are transitioning quite nicely into spring and hopefully summer as well. They are super lightweight which will be awesome when it gets warmer. I love that I went for something bold like this and am getting my use out of them, they just make me so happy. So say it loud and say it proud BEETLEJUICE!

With bold prints like these pants, best to keep everything neutral, which is most of my wardrobe anyways. I've had this denim jacket for almost 4 years now, and its gotten to that perfect spot of worn in and lovely. It's from forever 21, so not where I want to be shopping but I think if I've worn it for 3-4 years it's not exactly "fast" fashion. I like keeping pieces for a long time.

1. Burpees!

Ah yes, the exercise everyone loves to hate and hates to love. Start from standing jump back into plank position, perform push up, jump legs back up under shoulders and jump into the air. If any issues with knee joints just step instead of jumping.